Luka Modric, left, and Christian Eriksen both missed penalties on Sunday, although the Dane did so decisively in the penalty shootout.
Photograph: Max Rossi/Reuters

Leafy Nizhny Novgorod, at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers, has witnessed geniuses in action before. Maxim Gorky, a five-time Nobel literature prize nominee, was born in the city and spent patches of his life here. Nizhny Novgorod was even named after the writer – considered among Russia’s best – for much of the Soviet era. An imposing statue of Gorky continues to tower over the main square.

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On Sunday evening two more maestros took centre stage. Croatia’s match with Denmark was billed as the battle between Luka Modric and Christian Eriksen, No 10 against No 10, a former Tottenham bloke against the man who filled his shoes at White Hart Lane. Only one midfield genius could end the night with arms aloft.

To chants of “Ross-i-ya” – locals still dazed by their side’s victory over Spain earlier – Modric darted round the pitch in a fluid Croatia formation. One minute the slight midfielder was on the right-hand flank, making mazy runs into the corner. The next he was in the centre of the cavernous, Colosseum-like arena, hitting long passes with pinpoint accuracy. At times he even found himself level with his central defenders. But wherever he went the man with a ragged mop of hair and fluorescent green armband made things happen. Even the mis-hit passes seemed to create opportunity.

Eriksen had a less productive opening half. His skill was obvious whenever he had the ball but opportunities were few and far between – Denmark labouring as Croatia dominated possession. Flitting between a second striker role and the midfield’s fulcrum, Eriksen looked to be the only Dane capable of penetrating a defence that conceded only once in the group stage.

It was a testament to Modric’s class that even after he began to tire – victim, perhaps, of a knock – he continued to make Croatia click. Nonchalant, often walking rather than running, he was nonetheless an influential figure from the centre circle. As Croatia searched for an elusive winner, more often than not the route was via Modric – switching fluidly with Ivan Rakitic.

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Both midfield maestros come from a lineage of superb playmakers. Zvonimir Boban and Robert Prosinecki for Croatia, Michael and Brian Laudrup for Denmark. The former enlivened their side to third at the 1998 World Cup, the latter were part of their country’s golden era in the late 1980s and early 90s. For moments in the second half neither Modric nor Eriksen looked to be in such illustrious company – the game meandering as momentum ebbed and flowed. That is the thing about brilliance. Sometimes it takes only a millisecond and sometimes it does not come at all.

It almost came in the 103rd minute, when a perfectly weighted floating pass from Modric found the substitute Andrej Kramaric. It finally looked to have arrived five minutes before the shootout, when Modric – in full flight crossing the halfway line – delivered what seemed to be a winning assist into the box. But the man, the midfielder, the maestro was unable to convert the subsequent penalty, after Mathias Jørgensen brought down Ante Rebic.

Even the arrival of penalty kicks would not diminish the influence of these two midfielders, whose contributions would be determinative and have opposite effects. Eriksen set the tone for a calamitous Danish shootout, hitting the first one at the goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. Modric redeemed himself, calmly taking a crucial penalty before two more Danish misses and a Rakitic hit confirmed the result, 3-2 to Croatia.

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The Croatia captain was essential all evening but there is room for improvement. More often than not he played in a deep-lying role, as he commonly does for Real Madrid. But Modric’s attacking prowess – felt with full force against Argentina and Nigeria during the group stage – was not as evident on this occasion.

Maxim Gorky never won a Nobel prize, despite his brilliance. Modric has already won the Champions League four times with Real Madrid. If he is going to guide his country to their first major trophy, the time is surely now. He, Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic are all in their early 30s and are unlikely to be reunited in Qatar four years hence.

Croatia next play Russia in Sochi on Saturday. The host country and then a semi-final with Sweden, Switzerland, Colombia or England are all that stand between them and the World Cup final at the Luzhniki Stadium – a fitting theatre for one of the best playwrights of the modern game.